Processes by which different aspects of marital conflict affect adolescent adjustment: the mediating role of different dimensions of parental behavior

Abstract

In recent years researchers have argued that rather than asking if marital conflict influences child adjustment, research questions need to move to ones that address what specific aspects of marital conflict are related to child adjustment, and what are the processes or mechanisms by which marital conflict affects children. This study used data from the first three waves of the Iowa Youth and Families Project to examine how different aspects of marital conflict affect adolescent adjustment through different dimensions of parental behavior. Observed marital conflict was the only aspect of marital discord to have a significant indirect effect on the adolescent outcomes. Mother's negative affect mediated the effect of observed marital conflict on three adolescent outcomes: boys' extemalization problems, girls' extemalization problems, and boys' intemalization problems. Mothers' positive affect mediated the effect of observed marital conflict on boys' emotional wellbeing and girls' extemalization problems. Fathers' management mediated the effect of observed marital conflict on boys' and girls' extemalization problems. The remaining parental behaviors, mother's management, fathers' negative affect, and fathers' positive affect mediated the effect of observed marital conflict on girls' extemalization problems. In addition to these indirect effects, marital conflict over child-rearing had direct influences upon boys' emotional well-being, girls' emotional well-being, boys' externalizing problems, and girls' mtemalizing problems. Observed marital conflict had significant direct effects on girls' externalizing and internalizing problems. General marital distress had significant direct effects on girls' intemalizing problems, although the effect was in the opposite direction from what was predicted.